Sophomore Lawi Lalang clocked a school-record time of 3:36.77 in the 1,500 meters at the Payton Jordan Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif.
Lalang knocked more than two seconds off the record set by John Quade in Westwood, Calif. on Aug. 6, 1989, and finished fourth in the race. He was one of two collegiate competitors in the race and the only collegian to finish in the top eight. His time is the best among college runners this year, eighth-best in collegiate history and meets the Olympic "B" standard. Lalang also has the No. 2 collegiate time and an Olympic "A" standard in the 5,000 meters and holds four school records: three indoor (mile, 3K, 5K) and one outdoor (1,500 meters).
“He came in here to run a fast time,” associate head coach James Li said. “It was a good thing he didn’t have to be in the front to push the pace and do all the work. We had some pretty good conversations before the race and things worked out. It was great out here and it was definitely a good race for him, a big school record and a big personal best. I think it gives him a lot of confidence going forward and this is the best race he has run during the outdoor season. It really is a good thing for him going into the Pac-12 Championships and NCAA Championships.”
Jenn Bergman had a time of 33:14.93 in the women’s 10,000-meter race, good for fifth place in section two of the event. That is the second-best time of her career.
The Wildcats will return to the track for the inaugural Pac-12 Track and Field Championships on May 6-7 for the combined events and May 12-13 for the track and field portion.
